John bix morgan



J. D. MORGAN. APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF OYANOGEN COMPOUNDS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30.19]!- 25 6: (QM may- Patcnted July 15 1919.

of the solid materials required for the chem1 in a portable receptacleJOHN DIX MORGAN, OF NEW YORK. N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CYANOGEN COMPOUNDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 30, 1917. Serial No. 177,8635.

Toall whom it may concern Be it known that I, Join DIX Moncax, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county ofNew Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulApparatus for the Production of Cyanogen Compounds, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class wherein the apparatus is adapted forthe practice of a process for' the production of cyanogen compounds bythe fixing of nitrogen with carbon and an alkali metal.

Among other objects of my invention is to rovide means whereby acontinuous supply cal reaction can be delivered into a suitable furnaceor chamber and a like supply of nitrogen and lieat may be deliveredtherein and for governing thetemperature of such chamber so that thenecessary chemical re actions shall continue without intermission aslong as the supply of material. nitrogen. and required heat iscontinuous; also to providemeans for treating finely comminuted materialwhen so delivered into such chamber in a diffused mass, as well astreating such material when in fragments or briquets; also to providemeans for causing the diffused particles to contact with and adhere tothe inner wall of the chamber and for slicing, cutting or scrapingtherefrom the accumulations or coatings so gathcredon the walls atappropriate intervals and for receiving them at the bottom of thechamber and for removing them therefrom while yet in a plastic masswithout in any way interrupting the continuous operation of theapparatus. Also to so shorten the time required for effecting thenecessary reaction on a given amount ofmaterial that there may be acontinuous delivery of the latter to the reduction chamber.

In my copending appli -ation for a process for producing cyanogencompounds filed contemporaneously with this. and bearing Serial No.177863, of the art and hence do not need to repeat such statement in thepresent application.

which is for an apparatus adapted for the practice of such process, itbeing obvious to one skilled in the art that the time element. requiredfor the absorption of nitrogen by a porous mass of the solid material isdependent upon the bulk of the mass and the pressure of the gas; alsothat with the mate tort or 1mpedi1-.g or

I fully set forth the state four legs 1*, two of rial finelyCOlllnuullCGd the surface exposed for immediate contact with thenitrogen molecules is proportionately increased and the time requiredfor effecting the reaction correspomlingly din'iinishcd. Heretofore asrecited by me in the statement of the art re ferred to there has beengreat difficulty encountered in handling the treated material throughthe latter becoming plastic and viscid as a result of the rise intemperature in Patented July 15, 1919.

the heated Zone and adhering to the retort where it comes in contacttherewith. Heretofore no apparatus has the segregation and removal fromthe retort of such treated material while yet heated and in a plasticcondition, such apparatus as now designed either being adapted for thecooling of the charge before its removal or for the removal of thematerial by means of screw convcyers or the like from the heated zone toa receptacle at normal temperature with the result that the materialbecomes chilled in the course of transfer and adheres to the conveyerchoking the conduit and requiring removal with a hammer and chisel.Hence in a continuous feed retort its commercial utility is dependent onthe ability to successfully collect and remove the plastic material asthe same accumulates without clogging or choking the reinterrupting thereactions progressing within the heated zone of the chamber.

Having thus generally stated some of the objects of my invention I willmore particularly describe the same by reference to the drawings inwhich similar reference characters refer to identical parts.

In the drawing. Figure 1 shows a sectional elevation of my apparatus cutthrough ,the center. Fig. 2, is a detail of the reamer M, and Fig. 3, isa diagrammatic front view of a section of the apparatus, wherein thejacket E, is shown as inclosing a plurality of stacks.

The vertical casing, or stack B, is shown mounted on a raised base R,supported on which are shown, thus providing for the utilization of thebottoin of the furnace for the discharge of treated material. Thefurnace or chamber A, is provided with a jacket E, s shown, forming aheating chamber E, to which a non-oxidizing preheated gas, as carbonmonoxid, may be supplied through the pipe N, and the inlets a,controlled by the valves 'n'.

" uous governed supply of material shown as screw conveyer C.

the hopper C, the bottom of which opens into the conduit 0, in which ismounted the The conduit 0, is in closed in a water jacket D, and watercirculation, is provided by the inlet pipe (Z, controlled by the valved, and outlet d con-v trolled by the valve 03 The upper part of thestack B, is also provided with a water jacketv D, having an inlet d,controlled by the valve d, and, an outlet (Zflcontrolled by thevalve'lf". The gaseous material is supplied through-the pipe G,controlled by the 1 valves {1, and g and. the inletG, preferably in thelower part of the stack, but the location may be varied as desired.Means are provided by the removable plug 9, for cleaning the inlet in.event that the same should'become clogged by adhesive material, a bypathg controlled by the valve 9*, is provided for admitting nitrogen to theheating jacket E, as an alternative means. of preheating the same. Anoutlet K, for flue gases, is controlled by the valve K. L, is the fluefrom the heating chamber E, and is'controlled by the valve L. The-reamerM, is mounted on the arms m, which are brought to the center andconnected to the end of a sinker bar or stem m, as shown. in the detailFig. 2. The stem m, projects through the openingin the top of the stackB, when the reameris in use, and is operatively related to a cable,pulley and drum,

not shown, forthe lowering and raising of Y the reamel'. The lower edgeof the'reamer M, 1s beveled at such an angle as to form a suitablecutting blade. Means for sealing the chamber to receive gas underpressure are shown by the valve K, already described,'the gate valve 0,at the top of the stack B, and the valve P, at the lower end of thehopper CJ The bottom of the chamber A, is closed by the gate valves H,and 'H. The interveningsection A is prefen ably made with a largerdiameter in which case the valve H, is enlarged to correspond. Thebottom is elevated to permit of a car J, being placed thereunder toreceive the treated material. 7 i

I The operation of the apparatus is as foloWs:

To start the furnace the inlet v'alves n, of

the supply pipe N, are opened. The gate' valve 0, at the top and thegate valves'H,

and H, at the bottom of the chamber A,

K are opened and the section or zone ofthe chamber A controlled by theheating jacket E is raised to a temperature suitable for effecting areaction-between the active materials supplied to the chamber whichtemerature,'with a catalytic agent present, is about 1000"v C., then thescrew conveyer C,.is

started and the operation of the apparatus proceeds until it is desiredto remove the aC- cumulated material from the wall when the screwconveyer'C, is stopped and the cham-' her A, is sealed by closing theflue valve K, and gate valve P, and the gas is admitted under a slightpressure to expedite the completion of treatment of the coatings on thewall and material on the bottom of the chamber. After from 1 to 5minutes the valves last named are opened and pressure reduced to normalon the gas supply, the gate valve 0 is then opened and the reamer M, isoperat-ively lowered to the bottom of the chani- 1 her slicing andscraping the-coating of adhesivev material from the wall and deliveringit at the bottom of the chamber. The reamer is. thenremoved from thestack and the gate "alve 0 closed. The valve H, is opened and thetreated material is permitted to descend to section A of the chamber,"

when the valve H, is closed and the valve H, is opened and the contentof the treated material is dumped into a receptacle as J. If theradiation from section .AZoi' the chamber unduly lowers the temperaturetherein, the valve. H, may be partially opened to supply heat theretobefore dis-'3 charging treated material.

While the apparatus may thus be functioned for the practice of aco'ntinuousprocess'as described, it is equally adapted to functionfor anintermittent feed it it be desired to alternately coat the wall of thechamber and thensupply nitrogen under pressurefor absorption by the=coating','thus building up the treated material injlayers;.The'operation maybe varied by feeding Inaterial in with the nitrogensupply cut off thus effecting the delivery by gravity of a substantialamount of the material. to the bottom of the chamber in a porous bulkand of then supplying nitrogen under pressure and of absorption of thelatter the removal of the treated material and a recharging of thechamber. 4 Q j I do not limit in anyway the methodof operationof the.furnace the same being limited only by its functionalcapacity.

Having thus specified, shownand de;

iso

having an extended longitudinal section and a cross. section so limitedas to adapt the inner'wall for engaging adhesive material therewith,meansfor intermittently slicing theLwall and for removing solid material1 lfron i-the heated chamber, means for main- ;tai1 1ing a heated zonein said chamber com- ,p'ris' ng a heating acket mclosmg such zone chamer adapted for the passage of a, reamer,

section and provided with pipe and valve connections for supplyingpreheated gas thereto, inlets for the solid and gaseous material, and anexhaust flue.

, 2.,In an apparatus for producing cyano-' gen compounds, incombination, a substantially vertical, tubular casing, a chamber thereinhaving an extended longitudinal section and a cross section so limitedas to 'adap'tthe inner wall for engaging adhesive .material therewith,means for intermittently slicin the wall, valves at the bottom of the Ithe removal of solid material, inlets for solid and gaseous material andan exhaust flue.

' 3. In an apparatus -for producing cyanogen compounds, in combination,a substantially vertical tubular casing, a chamber therein-having, anextended longitudinal section and a cross section so limited as to adaptthe inner wall for engaging adhesive material therewith, a gate valve atthe upper end of the chamber suitable for permitting having a cuttingedge adapted to slice the chamber wall, mounted to be operativelylowered to the bottom of the chamber and withdrawn therefrom, means fora continuous supply of gaseous and solid material, means for refgencompounds, tially .vertical moving solid material from the heatedchamber and means for heating'a zone in said chamber and for exhaustingthe waste gases therefrom.

4. In an apparatus for producing cyanoin combination, a substancasing, achamber therein having an extended longitudinal section and a limitedcross section, means for maintaining a low temperature zone in the upper.New York and part thereof and a heated zone in a lower section thereof,an inlet for solid material in said low temperature zone an outlet forthe same below the heated zone, an inlet for gaseous material and anexhaust flue.

5. In an apparatus for producing cyano gen compounds, in combination, asubstantially vertical, tubular casing, a chamber therein having anextended vertical section, means for maintaining a low temperature zonein the upper end of'said chamber, comprising a water jacket inclosingthe same and valve controlled inlet and outlet pipes for circulatingwater in such jacket, an inlet for solid material in said lowtemperature zone, means for maintaining a heated zone in a lower sectionthereof, means for slicing the wall of the chamber, an inlet for gaseousmaterial and an exhaust flue.

6. In a furnace for producing cyanogen compounds, in combination, achamber, an inlet therein for solid material, opening from awater-jacketed conduit, a water jacket inclosi'ng such chamber for asection belov. such inlet, adapted to maintain a low temperature zone atand near the inlet for the material, means for supplying heat to. thechamber, an inlet for gaseous material and separate outlets for thetreated material and waste gases.

7. In an apparatus for producing cyanogen compounds, in'eombination, atubular vertical chamber, adapted by its contour and relative dimensionscutting edge, mounted to descend into the 9Q chamber, at intervals, toslice the accumulation of coated material from the inner wall and valvesat the lower end of the chamber to permit of the removal of treatedmaterial while in a plastic state. 95 Signed at New York in the countyof State of New York this seventh day of December A. D. 191 6.

K JOHN DIX MORGAN.

Witnesses:

E. Ronnars LEWIS, LAURA E. SMITH.

to engage the plastic -material on its lnner wall, a; valve at the

